October 22, 1898.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
general." It is due, however, to the they never are shipped by steamer, but go gentleman in question to state that these qy vessels which come under the lekin remarks referred
and that he did to exports from Cantonnuthorities, which vessels may or may not
on page 52, when dealing with Shashih, expose the differential treat ment which is accorded to steamer-borne cargo versus junk; but as far as we re- collect, until now, he did not show that foreign goods have to bear a high freight if carried in steamer, due to this cause.
We will now turn to the amended re gulations for inland waters which are issued and see how far they purpose placing the carriage of goods under equal taxation When we say amended regulations we mean as amended by the British Minister and now issued to the various Consuls throughout Chinn. These amendments are practically those which we published in our leader of July 12th and it is evident, as we then said, that "Sir CLAUDE MACDONALD is deter- "mined to put up with no evasions or attempted evasions of the concessions "granted to Great Britain," as was evinced by the Yamen's insertion of "small," having reference to steamers, &o., &c. It is to be
"
be towed by steam. It appears to us that some clause providing for "native goods "carried from a place inland to a treaty port or vice versa and/or from one place "inland to another passing one or more Treaty ports en-route" could have been inserted with advantage.
"t
64
富贵
PENNY POSTAGE. A
(Daily Press, 15th October.) –
327
The Legislative Council of the Straits Set- tlements has passed a resolution in favour of the introduction of penny, postage be- tween that colony and the United Kingdom, The Acting Governor in the course of the debate said that so far as he understood what was going on at home he believed the home Then comes clause 5: Cargo shipped authorities were in favour of ocean penny on native boats to be towed by steamers is postage, but when letters had to perform a to be on the same footing as regards duty very expensive transit through Europe satisfactory in so far as all the vessels now postage, the cost of transit from London to payment as steamer cargoes." This i they were not in favour of having penny towed by launches and which carry cargo Marseilles and from London to Brindisi bes will come under the one administration; ing so great that there either would not be not as at present, where the launch comes any profit on such letters or there would be under the Customs and the boat towed a loss. Mr. MURRAY, the mover of the reso under the lekin, with of course the usual lution, said, however, that the great portion still leaves it open for launches to tow would continue to go by the Continental results, namely, differential rates. This of the letters, he might say all the letters, native boats and drop them just before route, and it would be of no use whatever to in which case the lekin will elaim the boating right round Gibraltar. We would not coming to a treaty port or inland station, the community to accept penny postage go- and her cargo as coming under them be go so far as Mr. MURRAY and say penny cause it is not towed by a steamer, and in postage going right round Gibraltar would rates; but as the very wise step has been exchanged between this colony and the taken of making the dues and duties United Kingdom in reference to which ten collected on domestic trade available for days' longer on the journey would be quite much of this, neither do we see very well ing their postage at the cheaper rate might provincial purposes we do not look to see
immaterial, and the opportunity of conduct- how it could be stopped, short of giving the be appreciated by certain classes both here Customs the control of junk as well as steam and in England. The bulk of the commer- traffic. In time of course this must come. cial correspondence will, however, necessarily Cargo shipped on Native or Foreign boats continue to follow the quickest route, and "to be towed by steamers" would be a
we see no reason why the rate of postage- useful amendment.
should be reduced below the figure that the the cost of trantit across the continent service actually costs. Some years ago
of a letter from Hongkong to Eng. land amounted to over a penny, and al- though we believe there has since been is still probably not less than that sum. some readjustment of the charges the cost To this must be added the cost of the letter in Hongkong, its conveyance to Brindisi or other Coutinental port, and its cost at the other end. It is clear, therefore, that the rate
noted, however, that the regulations pub this way maintain a system of differential | be of no use at all. There are many letters
64
lished as Customs Notification No. 498 in the Shanghai papers under A Regulation, paragraph 2, still stick to the "not of a seagoing type," although there is no mention of this in the circular despatch from the Minister to the Consuls. Doubtless in course of time this will be put right. So far, with the exception noted above, the regulations appear to be satisfactory, but it is of course from the Supplementary Rules published by the Customs that we gain the most valuable information; which is, the interpretation that will be put upon these 8 and 9, and it is here that we are promised Following down we then come to clauses amended regulations and the manner in the publication of the Rules, &c., to be in which the Customs intend to administer force at places where dues and duties are them. These, too, appear to be satisfactory payable-or in other words, how much we until we come to paragraph 4 of Clause 3, have to pay and where we have to pay it which is not so clear as we should like. before the end of the Chinese year. It is, Goods brought from the interior however, not quite clear from these clauses merely for transhipment into a seagoing whether the official who is to be appointed or river steamer are not liable to any from the provincial authorities to collect duty at the port except the Treaty tariff the dues and duties on provincial account export duties,"
Now it by a "seagoing will do so on cargo going both "steamer" is meant a vessel going to a is, from a treaty port to an inland place or ways, that foreign country there is, of course, no ob-coming from an inland place to a treaty jection to be raised, nor if it means a coasting vessel can much be said against it, for, but the latter appears in some doubt. port. The former is clear and is arranged although it seems to point to the continu- Say cargo brought from Fatshan to Canton ance of the obnoxious coast trade duty; but will it
pay anything at Fatshan with a "river steamer" it is entirely differ-
not? If not, ent. If goods carried by them from a treaty examined there and a certificate granted
will it be weighed and arrangements will be made with
packets to carry the letters for that sum; port are to be subjected to the levy of a for it by the local officials on which but to ask the ratepayers generally to Treaty tariff export duty we are exactly in the duty will be assessed when the bear part of the cost of the mercantile the same position as we were before except goods arrive at Canton? If so, there should
or private correspondence for which a that on arrival at the terminal treaty port, be no difficulty in the matter; but we
quicker but dearer. route is voluntarily should the goods be going to one, they now submit that by, the reading of the clauses selected would be unreasonable.
It says
60
14
"
pay the half tariff export duty known as
"coast:
Or
levied "e" duty, but under the regula | ever, with confidence the issue of the
tions will only pay the same as is goods carried in native craft-a gain so slight as not to be worth considering Such, we cannot think, is intended to be the reading of this; but, in order that there may be no mistake in the matter, we will illustrate our meaning. A steamer brings a cargo or part cargo of native produce down from Nanning destined for Canton; she must necessarily pass Wuchow en route.
i
Will she have to pay a Treaty tariff export duty because she does so? Before the opening of the waters these goods would have come from Nanning to Wuchow in a
junk paying lekin en route and at Wuchow, before entering the port. They then could be shipped by steamer from Wuchow to
Canton, paying to the Customs a full and a half duty for that privilege, but as they would be subjected to more lekin i Canton in addition, as Mr. BRENAN points out,
this is not quite clear. We, await, how Rules promised to elucidate this point. As our readers may remember, we pointed out in our leader of the 12th July, already referred to, that this difficulty of a tariff showing the places to be stopped at and the amount to be paid at each, had to be met and got over, and we say now as we did then, that these are the first steps to be taken in a scheme of internal reform, which great task, as it seems, needs but firmness on the part of the authorities and forbearance and vigilance on the part of the merchants to bring to a successful issue.
It is with some disappointment that we find Hongkong is not to participate direct ly in the benefits of the new opening
of waters.
It is notified that quarantine in the Straits Settlements against arrivals from Canton and Macao has been withdrawn.
cannot be reduced much lower than its homewards without loss. If a penny rate present figure-24d, outwards and 10 cents
and good; even if it is not largely availed for the all-sea route can be arranged, well of it will presumably involve no loss, as
the
United Kingdom by the overland route But though the ten cent rate to the may not be deemed excessive the rates are undoubtedly
in various other s 90. On letters
India, Australia,
Singapore, or Japan there is no cost of overland carriage, and to charge the same on letters to these places as is charged on
letters following the expensive overland route to the United Kingdom is an anomaly Tea cents has been adopted as the local that t might with advantage be removed. equivalent of the Postal Union rate of 24d. for postage to a foreign country. But on principle it is not advisable to treat British possessions as foreign countries if the ser-
Tess
vice can be conducted without loss at ing the nearness of Japan and the extent of
than the Postal Union rates, and consider-
Our e
commercial relations with that country would be advantageous if a more favour able postal tariff than the existing one could be arranged there also. A reduction